Wednesday, August 31, 2016

August 31

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Today in class we have our Chapter 3 Quiz and we will continue to develop our essay writing skills by working on an essay outline.  The ability to plan out an essay through an outline is super valuable for writing your in class essays that are coming up.  I hope that you were all able to finish one of your thesis statements so that you can develop it today into a full fledged essay!  I am so proud of you all for sticking with it so far.  Keep on chugging, this class becomes more manageable as you practice and improve your skills.  Below you will find our agenda, homework, and resources for the day.

Objectives
  1. Demonstrate content knowledge about early America through responding to select response questions and short answer prompts
  2. Identify and evaluate attributes that describe varying colonial regions
  3. Analyze essay prompts, create thesis statements, and organize an outline in preparation for essay writing
Agenda:
  1. Chapter 3 Quiz
  2. Practice: Essay outline
  3. Finish:
    1. Activity: Document Analysis
    2. Closure #3
Homework:
  1. Study for Chapter 4 Quiz on Friday!
  2. Keep up with readings
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen!  As always I am so happy to see and work with you all today.  I hope that this class isn't beating you down yet!  I am very proud of all the work you have done!  Take care everyone and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-31-16 PPT

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Tutorial Schedule Reminder

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Just a reminder that APUSH students are scheduled to come in to my classroom during tutorial on Thursday and Fridays normally.  Because we are a flipped week your days were Monday and Thursday!  If you need to see me tomorrow during Tutorial for any reason, make sure to email me ahead of time and I will save you a spot. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

ALSO you must have at least ONE of your thesis statements complete (from the practice activity on Monday) before class tomorrow, you will need it for tomorrow's activity :)

Monday, August 29, 2016

August 29

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Hope you had a good weekend!  I'm excited to be back and working with you all.  Today we will be working on our thesis writing skills, one of the most important aspects of writing an essay.  We will be using a formula to help develop a thesis and I expect you to use this formula in writing future essays.  There are only two quizzes this week for hopefully you enjoy the break ;)  Below you will find our agenda, resources and homework for the day.

Objectives:
  1. Break down LEQ prompts and create thesis statements aligned with the AP rubric criteria.
  2. Explain the differences between the 3 colonial regions in America
  3. Identify and evaluate attributes that describe varying colonial regions
Agenda:
  1. Warm-Up #2
  2. Practice: Prompt and Thesis Breakdown
    1. Thesis Practice Directions 
    2. Prompt and Thesis Breakdown Worksheet
  3. Closure #2
  4. Warm-Up #3
  5. Quick Discuss/Recap: English Colonial Development
  6. Activity: Document Analysis
  7. Closure #3
Homework:
  1. Keep up with Readings
  2. Chapter 3 Quiz on Wednesday
  3. Chapter 4 Quiz Friday
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen.  I hope that you continue to work and develop your skills and stay on top of your reading!  If you have questions about the content make sure you ask during class so I can help clear up any confusion on the history we are discussing.  I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-29-16 PPT

Friday, August 26, 2016

August 26

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Today in class we will be doing quite a bit.  We will finish our introduction to Unit 2 as well as take our Chapter 2 Quiz.  After we finish that we will be practicing writing a thesis.  This is an important skill to master in order to develop yourself as a writer.  Historical writing is argumentative in nature and it is vital that you write a strong thesis in order to assert your claim.  I'm excited to be working with you all again today!  Below you will find our agenda, homework, and resources for the day.

Objectives:
  1. Demonstrate content knowledge about early America through responding to select response questions and short answer prompts
  2. Understand and create thesis statements aligned with the AP rubric criteria
Agenda:
  1. Finish:
    1. Discuss: Unit 2
    2. Textbook Quest: Unit 2 (15 minutes)
    3. Closure #1
  2. Quiz: Chapter 2
  3. Warm-Up #2
  4. Skill Building: How to Write a Thesis
  5. Practice: Prompt and Thesis Breakdown
    1. Thesis Practice Directions 
    2. Prompt and Thesis Breakdown Worksheet 
  6. Closure #2
Homework:
  1. Finish all classwork
  2. Remember to stay on top of readings
  3. Chapter 3 Quiz on Wednesday
  4. Chapter 4 Quiz on Friday
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen.  You made it through a crazy week and I am proud of you all!  The pacing will get better and more regular as we get further into the units.  Stick with it ladies and gentlemen I believe in you all!  Have a wonderful weekend!  Don't forget that our Varsity football team is playing their opening game at Levi Stadium this Saturday at 3pm, come support our team if you can!  Take care everyone!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-26-16 PPT

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

August 24

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Today in class we are taking our Unit 1 Test!  Woohoo!  This week is a little crazy as we took the Chapter 1 Quiz on Monday, we have our Unit 1 Test today, and we have our Chapter 2 Quiz on Friday!  Ahhhhhhhh! I promise that the pacing will get less intense as we get further into the semester.  For now just put that head down and power through!  We will also go over Unit 2 after the Test so you know what we are covering moving forward.  We will continue to develop and improve our skills in the context of our content through this unit.  Looking forward to working with you all today!  Below you will find our agenda, homework, and resources for the day.

Objectives:
  1. Demonstrate content knowledge of Period 1 through responding to short answer questions
Agenda:
  1. Unit1 Test
  2. Review: Unit 2 Assignment Sheet
  3. Warm-Up #1
  4. Discuss: Unit 2
  5. Textbookk Quest: Unit 2
  6. Closure #1
Homework:
  1. Study for Chapter 2 Quiz on Friday
  2. Finish any classwork
  3. Download and print the Unit 2 Assignment Sheet 
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen.  I hope that the pace of this course isn't crushing you, I promise that as we continue the pace and practice will get easier and more familiar.  I am looking forward to seeing you all again on Friday!  I hope that you all have a pleasant couple of days.

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-24-16 PPT

Monday, August 22, 2016

August 22

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Today in class we will be taking our first Chapter quiz!!!  This is so awesome.  We get to do another thirty of these over the course of the rest of the school year, woohoo!  In all seriousness I hope that you all did the reading and watched the review videos so that you feel prepared.  Also remember that each quiz is a learning experience and practice for the AP Exam, take each one as an opportunity to improve your study skills.  I'm excited to work with you through our first full school week.  Let's do this!  Below you will find our agenda, homework, and resources for the day.

Objective:
  1. Develop skills for responding to AP style short answer prompts
  2. Respond to document based multiple choice questions and a short answer question to demonstrate knowledge on Period1
Agenda:
  1. Warm-Up #2
  2. Quiz: Chapter 1 (20 minutes timed)
  3. Review: Chapter 1 Quiz (Short Answer only)
  4. Study Skills: Short Answer Writing
Homework:
  1. Study for Unit 1 Test
    1. 50 States map quiz is part of the test (know your USA geography!)
    2. Remember some of Chapter 2 will be on the Unit 1 Test
  2. Print Unit 1 Packet Cover Sheet
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen!  I hope that you did well and feel confident about your first quiz.  Remember not to freak out too bad!  This is the first quiz of the year and it is definitely something to learn from and experience so that you know what to expect going forward.  I look forward to seeing you all again on Wednesday!  Have a wonderful evening!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-22-16 PPT

Friday, August 19, 2016

August 19

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Today in class we will be reviewing some strategies for reading and note taking.  We will also be reviewing the Unit 1 Assignment sheet.  Additionally we will be discussing history as a discipline and the importance of historiography.  I'm excited to jump right in and hope you all have some good, strong ideas from the reading last night!  Hope you are not too overwhelmed by the amount of work we are starting with.  Below you will find our agenda, resources and homework for the day.

Objectives:
  1. Discuss the skill of Cornell Note Taking
  2. Analyze the reasons for studying history through discussion
  3. Use the critical skills of a historian to contrast differing perspectives of history. 
Agenda:
  1. Submit: Syllabus Contract
  2. Recap: Homework Reading Assignment
  3. Review: Unit 1 Assignment Sheet
  4. Warm-Up #1
  5. Skill Building: Cornell Notes
  6. Read and Discuss: Historiography
  7. Closure #1
Homework:
  1. Finish Historiography Assignment
  2. Continue Readings
  3. Chapter 1 Quiz on Monday
  4. Unit 1 Assessment on Wednesday - Make sure to read half of chapter 2 as well!
    1. Study for the 50 States part of the Assessment!  Know your US Geography!
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen.  Don't forget to do your reading and prepare for the Chapter 1 Quiz on Monday!  We will be reviewing the quiz afterward, remember that this is practice for the AP Exam (and we will be doing it a lot over the year!).  Hope you all have a great weekend and I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-19-16

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

August 17

Hello ladies and gentlemen,

Welcome to our first day of AP United States History!  I am so excited to be starting another year of this course!  I am so passionate about U.S. History and hope that you all are too!  This is an intense course and today we will be going quickly over the basic information you need to know about the course.  If you get lost, or have any questions, make sure that you ask!  I can only help you if you are proactive in helping yourself!  I have one very clear and explicit expectation for all of you, while you are in this class I expect that you behave and act as a historian.  This is a marathon journey and it is important that you apply yourself in such a way.  Below you will find our agenda, homework and resources for the day.

Objective:
  1. Review course design and syllabus through discussion and questioning

Agenda:
  1. Seating Chart/Attendance
  2. Introduction: Who is Mr. Marchetti?
  3. Distribute: Textbooks
  4. Review: AP Curriculum and Syllabus
Homework:
  1. Green Sheet
    1. Sign and return Contract Page (Make sure you sign the appropriate form!)
      1. AP Contract
      2. Accelerated Contract
  2. Join Google Classroom & Complete Assignment
    1. Class Codes
      1. Period 2 - r6jo431
      2. Period 4 - au5l2uc
    2. Google Classroom Assignment - Email List
      1. If you are having trouble accessing any of these documents try signing in to your SJUSD account! 
  3. Print out the Unit 1 Assignment Sheet
    1. Start Chapter 1 readings
    2. AP Reading - CE #1-3
  4. Read "Why Study History?"
    1. Complete the writing task on a separate piece of paper (you may type but must print and bring to class on Friday)
That's all for today ladies and gentlemen!  I hope that you are not too overwhelmed. We have a lot of stuff to accomplish and a relatively short time to do so.  It was great meeting you today and I am excited to work with you more!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti

8-17-16 PPT


Friday, August 5, 2016

Welcome!

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to AP United States History!

I am so looking forward to meeting all of you and starting a new year on August 17!  I am an avid and passionate lover of history!You will learn quickly that I teach this course because I love it and I expect you to approach this course every day excited and ready to learn!

This course requires that you invest a great amount of time and effort to learn the material.  You must stay engaged and participate every day or it will be easy to fall behind.  I love this stuff and if you are ready to learn we will have a ton of fun!

I am so excited to start this school year with you all and look forward to our discussions on United States History!

I will see you soon!

Live long and prosper,

Mr. Marchetti